The present invention relates to a new and useful apparatus and method for removing a foreign object from a rectal cavity. In the experience of medical practitioners, when a foreign object becomes lodged in a rectal cavity, removing the foreign object often requires surgery that can expose the patient to conditions that would be desirable to avoid, if possible. An Article Entitled “Foreign Objects In The Rectum” dated July '08 and published by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Heath Services Bureau, Inmate Wellness Program HEP 1042, and an article entitled “Rectal foreign bodies; A case report and review of the literature”, by G. Kasotakis, L. Roediger and S. Mittal, Int J Surg Case Rep, 2012, 3(3): 111-115, Published online Dec. 8, 2011, both of which are incorporated by reference herein, further explain the potential issues attendant with removal of a foreign object from a rectal cavity.
The present invention seeks to address these issues, by providing an apparatus and a method by which a foreign object can often be removed from a rectal cavity without the need for a surgical procedure and its inherent risks. In this application, the term “rectal cavity” means the distal colon proximal to the anus, any or all parts of a colon and any human cavity portions that extend proximal to the anus. A “foreign object” means an object that has been inserted into the rectal cavity through the anus and would not normally be found in the rectal cavity of a human body.
According to the invention, the apparatus for removing a foreign object from a rectal cavity, comprises an anoscope configured for insertion through the anus into a rectal cavity. The anoscope has a base with guides that route flexible members within a flexible sheath that are in action carried through the anoscope beyond the guide and further into a rectal cavity and expand about a foreign object in the rectal cavity. The anoscope also carries a noose that is held by the flexible members and is manipulatable from outside the patient's rectal cavity to tighten and stricture the flexible sheath above the foreign object and capture the foreign object within the flexible sheath, so that the foreign object can be manipulated by the noose and the flexible sheath to remove the foreign object from the rectal cavity.
In a preferred apparatus, the anoscope base has guides for a plurality of flexible ribs that are guided by the anoscope into the rectal cavity. The flexible ribs are disposed inside the flexible sheath, and are connected with the flexible sheath in a manner such that the flexible ribs can be extended from the anoscope base further into a rectal cavity, and expand as they extend beyond the anoscope base to expand the flexible sheath about a foreign object in the rectal cavity. The noose comprises a radiopaque strand (and preferably a pair of such strands) that is (are) guided by the anoscope base and connected with the flexible sheath in a manner such that the noose can be manipulated to draw the flexible sheath closed above the foreign object and proximal to the foreign object within the rectal cavity, allowing the sheath to then form an enclosure within which the foreign object may be safely retracted distally and removed from the rectal cavity.
According to the method of the invention for removing a foreign object from a rectal cavity,                a. an anoscope base (that includes a base member and introducer) is lubricated and then inserted into a rectal cavity, and carries flexible members and a flexible sheath that are configured to extend from the anoscope base further into a rectal cavity and to expand about a foreign object in the rectal cavity;        b. the anoscope base carries a flexible noose that is manipulated from outside the rectal cavity to draw the flexible sheath closed above the foreign object and proximal to the foreign object within the rectal cavity and capture the foreign object within the flexible sheath, which is then manipulated in a manner that tracts the foreign object distally to remove the foreign object from the rectal cavity through the anus.        
In the preferred way of practicing the applicant's method, the anoscope base and flexible members are withdrawn from the rectal cavity before the noose and flexible sheath are manipulated to tract the foreign object distally and remove it from the rectal cavity.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.